Brick is visually complex. Even a wall described simply as “red brick” may contain rust, charcoal, tan, cream, brown or violet tones. The mortar introduces another color, and sunlight changes how the complete wall reads throughout the day.

Gentek Fairhaven Sound shakes add their own cedar-inspired texture and shadow. When that texture is paired with strongly varied masonry, the color strategy should usually create order rather than add another competing element.

PEPA emphasizes the design range available through polymeric siding colors and profiles. That range is valuable, but a successful brick-and-siding combination depends on selective editing.

Begin with the Most Permanent Materials

Exterior materials should generally be considered in order of how difficult and expensive they are to change.

1. Brick or stone: Usually the most permanent visual material on the façade.
2. Roofing: Large in area and costly to replace merely for color.
3. Windows and exterior doors: Often retained through several siding cycles.
4. Main siding: Establishes the dominant field color.
5. Shake accent: Adds texture, emphasis and a supporting color.
6. Trim and accessories: Connect the complete palette.

This order prevents an accent color from forcing expensive permanent materials into an uncomfortable relationship.

Learn to Read the Brick’s Undertones

The dominant brick color is not always the best siding cue. Often, the quieter secondary colors produce a more sophisticated connection.

These are starting directions, not automatic color prescriptions. Actual product samples must be compared with the specific brick.

Do Not Ignore the Mortar

Mortar can account for a substantial portion of the visible masonry surface. Light mortar makes individual bricks appear more distinct, while dark mortar can make the wall read as a deeper, more unified field.

A shake color that relates to the mortar often creates a quieter connection than one matched to the most dominant brick color.

• Cream mortar can support warm off-white, linen and sand-toned siding.
• Gray mortar can support gray, greige or charcoal accents.
• Tan mortar can connect warm neutral siding with red or brown brick.
• Dark mortar may support deeper shake colors when the roof is also dark.

Should the Shakes Blend with the Brick or Contrast?

Working with Red Brick

Red brick is common, but it varies widely. Some brick leans orange and warm; some reads deeper and bluer; some contains heavy charcoal or brown variation.

Color directions worth sampling include:

• Warm taupe when the brick contains tan or brown
• Charcoal when dark flashing appears throughout the brick and roof
• Muted green when the brick has earthy orange or brown undertones
• Cream when the mortar and trim are already warm and light
• Deep brown when the roof and brick both contain rich warm tones

Be cautious with a highly saturated blue beside strong orange-red brick. Complementary colors intensify one another and can make a façade feel much brighter than expected.

Working with Brown or Earth-Tone Brick

Brown brick can support a warm, layered palette, but too many similar medium-brown materials can make the house appear heavy.

Consider creating controlled separation through one of these approaches:

• Use a lighter warm neutral for the main siding and a deep brown shake accent.
• Use a medium taupe shake with crisp but not overly bright trim.
• Introduce a muted natural green when similar tones appear in the brick.
• Use charcoal carefully when the roof contains compatible dark tones.

Working with Cream, Buff or Light Brick

Light brick gives a home visual brightness but may appear washed out if every adjacent material is equally pale.

A medium-tone shake accent can provide depth without creating a severe black-and-white contrast. Depending on the brick and roof, useful directions may include:

• Warm gray or greige
• Muted blue
• Soft natural green
• Medium warm brown
• A deeper shade of the brick’s own neutral undertone

Let the Amount of Brick Influence the Contrast

Coordinate with the Roof

Brick and siding can work beautifully together and still conflict with the roof. All three materials must be reviewed at the same time.

• Warm brown roofs generally favor warmer siding and shake colors.
• Charcoal roofs offer more flexibility but can make dark siding combinations feel heavy.
• Multicolored roofs should not be paired with an equally complicated siding palette.
• A strong roof color should be repeated or acknowledged elsewhere on the exterior.
• Roof replacement plans should be considered before finalizing permanent siding colors.

Trim Is the Bridge Between Brick and Shakes

Trim can connect materials that would otherwise feel unrelated. Repeating one trim color around windows, at corners and along the shake transition creates a consistent framework.

Gentek’s Color Clear Through collection is intended to coordinate selected siding, soffit, fascia, trim and accessory colors. This can simplify a unified palette when multiple Gentek components are used.

Bright white is not automatically the best trim color. Against warm brick, a softer white, cream or warm neutral may look more natural. Against cooler painted brick, a cleaner white or charcoal may be appropriate.

Texture Must Be Balanced Too

Brick has joints, color variation and surface texture. Fairhaven Sound shakes add cedar grain, lower-edge pattern and deeper shadow.

If the brick is rustic and highly varied, Traditional Shake in a related color may provide enough contrast. If the brick is smooth and visually quiet, Cape Cod or Hand-Split Shake may add welcome depth.

Scallops should be used carefully beside strongly patterned brick because both materials create repetition. Limiting scallops to one well-framed gable can keep the exterior from becoming overly decorative.

Always Use Physical Samples

Gentek advises making final color selections with actual product samples because printed and digital colors may differ from the manufactured product.

Place each sample directly beside the brick rather than holding it several feet away. Then step back far enough to see the complete wall.

1. Review the samples in morning light.
2. Review them again in midday sun.
3. Check how they appear in shade.
4. Photograph the combinations for comparison, but do not rely on the photograph alone.
5. View the sample from the street and from the main approach to the house.
6. Compare the proposed trim at the same time.

Common Brick-and-Shake Color Mistakes

• Matching only the dominant brick color: A quieter secondary tone may produce a more balanced result.
• Ignoring the mortar: Mortar can be the strongest neutral on the wall.
• Forgetting the roof: A siding-and-brick pairing still has to work with the roof.
• Adding too many strong colors: Brick already contributes several tones.
• Using both strong color and strong texture everywhere: Give the eye a quieter surface for balance.
• Choosing from a small screen: Screen color is not an acceptable final standard.
• Trying to make unlike materials match perfectly: Coordination is more realistic and often more attractive than an almost-match.

A Practical Brick-and-Shake Selection Checklist

1. Identify the brick’s dominant and secondary colors.
2. Identify the mortar color.
3. Confirm the roof’s undertone.
4. Decide whether the shakes should blend or contrast.
5. Select an appropriate Fairhaven Sound profile.
6. Compare no more than three serious color candidates.
7. Add the proposed main siding and trim samples.
8. Review the complete palette outdoors at the property.
9. Confirm current profile and color availability.
10. Resolve the physical transition between masonry and siding before installation.